Food Waste Reducer
While fruits and vegetables
are delicious and good
for you, an important
thing to remember is that
they are also perishable.
Perishable means that
something is likely to
decay or go bad in a short
amount of time. While a
select few can last longer
in temperature-controlled
storage, like potatoes,
onions, and apples, most
fruits and vegetables must
be eaten, used, or frozen
within a few days of being
purchased at the grocery
store or farmers market.
Unfortunately, a lot of food
DOES go bad before we eat
it, and it is usually thrown
away. Not only is that
bad for the environment,
but also for your parents’
wallets because it is
wasted money!
Did you know, in the United
States alone, over 1/3 of
the food produced for us to
eat is thrown away? That’s
about 219 pounds of food
per American per year!
Here are a few ways you and your family can help reduce food waste in your house:
• Help your parents put together their weekly grocery shopping list. What fruits
and vegetables do you like to eat every day, like carrots and apples? What items
do you eat once or twice a week with a meal, like broccoli and green beans?
• Store fruits and vegetables properly. Find out which ones need to
be in the refrigerator or left on the counter, if they can be stored
with other produce items, or need to be stored by themselves.
• Eat your leftovers! Often, leftovers get forgotten in the back of the refrigerator,
never to be seen again (until they start smelling!). Designate one night a week
as “Leftover Night” to help reduce the amount of leftovers that get thrown away.
• If you have a lot of food left on your plate when eating
at a restaurant, take it home for leftovers.
• Start a compost bin in your classroom, house, or back yard! Research how to
make a compost bin, and start throwing things like food scraps, egg shells,
coffee and coffee filters in there. The worms in the bin will chew up all the waste
and turn it into rich compost, perfect for your garden or a friend’s garden.
Think of any other ways you can help reduce food waste
and take the Food Waste Reducer Pledge below.
The Food Waste Reducer Pledge:
I, _________________________________________, promise to reduce the
amount of food I waste. The main way I am going to reduce food waste is by
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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